Offense Struggles, Gustavus Falls To #24 Bethel 20-0

Arden Hills, Minn. – The Gustavus football team suffered a
20-0 loss at the hands of 24th ranked Bethel on Saturday
afternoon. The Bethel defense proved its dominance by giving
up -6 yards rushing and 103 yards passing for 97 total yards.
With the loss, Gustavus falls to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the
MIAC. Bethel improves to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the MIAC with
the victory.

Donte Green chases Bethel quarterback
Danile Davis

Bethel, ranked first in the MIAC in time of possession,
dominated the clock in the game. The Royals held the ball for
35:33 minutes and picked up 18 first downs, while Gustavus had
possession for 24:27 minutes and recorded just six first downs.

"Hats off to Bethel, they played outstanding defense. We
have been really good offensively for about four weeks now, but we
certainly go humbled today, " said Head Coach Peter Haugen.

The Gusties went three-and-out on four of their first five
drives of the game. Two of Bethel's three scores come off of
Gustavus mishaps. The Royals took advantage of a botched snap
on a Gustavus punt, taking a 7-0 lead on the ensuing possession
after quarterback Josh Aakre scored on a four-yard option run at
the 9:53 mark of the first quarter. Jesse Phenow extended the
lead to 14-0 five minutes later, capping a seven play 72 yard drive
with a five-yard touchdown run. Bethel took advantage
of a Logan Becker interception in the third quarter when Logan
Flannery rolled into the end zone on a three-yard dive, bringing
the score to a final at 20-0.

Bethel's David Vavra picks off a pass
intended for Andre Creighton

"Our defense has played well all year and today we [offense] put
them in a couple of very difficult situations and Bethel
capitalized," commented Haugen.

Defensively, the Gusties were led by Dustin Kammerer and Paul
Stommes. Kammerer had 11 tackles and Stommes had 10.
Jade Kotila recorded his third interception of the year with a pick
in the second quarter. The defense held the Royals to an
average of 2.8 yards per play, yet the Bethel defense held Gustavus
to just 1.8 yards per play.

The Bethel defensive scheme kept quarterback Logan Becker from
getting into his comfort zone all game. Becker was 15-for-30
for 103 yards with three interceptions. Jeffrey Dubose was
the leading rusher for Gustavus, picking up 23 yards on 10 carries
(2.3 avg.).

The Bethel offense picked up a total of 189 yards (98 rush, 91
pass). Logan Flannery led the way with a game-high 129 yards
on 26 carries and one touchdown. Quarterbacking
responsibilities for Bethel was split between Aakre and Daniel
Davis. Aakre was 5-for-21 for 47 yards with an interception,
while Davis was 8-for-9 for 44 yards.

"What we have to understand is that we belong. We are a
good football team and we are going to have an opportunity to over
the next two weeks to prove who we are, " said Haugen.

The Gustavus football team will face another formidable MIAC
opponent in Saint John's next Saturday in Collegeville, Minn.
Kick off is set for 1:00 p.m.